Pluto Pop
by The Mad Writer
Summary: COMPLETE Persephone only wants a better life for herself and her son. Can Spike help her find that life?
1. Another Day on the Job

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. Wish I did. Spike Lives!  
  
Another Day on the Job  
  
The heavy scent of incense wound its way throughout the candlelit bedroom. It was a hotel room of less then a respectable reputation. The perfect place for an illicit meeting between a lady of the night and one of the most prominent businessmen in the galaxy.   
  
He wasn't one to normally go for such ladies, but this one was different. She had been sitting on a table across from him at one of the classiest restaurants on Pluto. Her rich brown hair framed her perfectly pale face like a halo and settled gracefully on her bare shoulders. She wore a turquoise negligee with a slit nearly to her waist that revealed flawless legs. He had wanted her immediately. He could barely keep his mind on the business dinner; her bewitchment was too much for him to bear. She had amazingly stayed the entire time. He thought it was a miracle when she came over to him and asked him if he wanted to "go to a little place on the east side of town." He couldn't have said "no" if he had wanted to.  
  
Now he had just finished an amazing third round with her and the looks of a fourth were pretty good.   
  
"You like it like this, don't you Big Boy?" she asked.   
  
"Yes," he groaned in ecstasy.  
  
"Good. I like to give my targets one last happy moment before I send them on their way."  
  
He didn't even have a chance to ask her what she meant as she pulled the trigger. She disentangled herself from the lifeless flesh and went to clean up. Just before she left the stinking room she pulled off the brown wig letting her unbelievably curly red hair fall out. As an afterthought she tossed it over the businessman's stricken face. Most people would have been terrified to see such a sight, but for her, it was just another day on the job. 


	2. Old Friends

Disclaimer: You think I'd be writing fanfiction if I owned Cowboy Bebop? Get real. Spike Lives!  
  
Old Friends  
  
Pluto: the coldest, emptiest, most miserable planet in the galaxy. No wonder the ISSP had decided to put its modern day Alcatraz here. But why the hell Jet decided he wanted to get a bounty head that was said to be out here was beyond Spike's comprehension. Not even six million Woo Long would have tempted him out here if he had had a choice. Faye had even refused to help catch the bounty. She had declared she would not be leaving the Bebop until they were off "this frozen rock" as she had put it. Ed had offered to help, but the moment she had stepped outside of the ship, she had fled back in and had wrapped herself up in a blanket with Ein. So now, rather than be cooped up with those two, Spike was wandering the streets of the very aptly dubbed "frozen rock" looking for a halfway decent bar.   
  
So far he hadn't had any luck. Everything he had found was just about as appealing as a root canal. So instead the cold decided for him. He ended up in a dimly lit bar named The Last Resort.   
  
"What's with all the perfectly named things around here?" he said to himself.  
  
"Things have the habit of doing that when you're at the edge of the galaxy," came the answer from the corner booth Spike was closest to.   
  
He looked to the booth and saw a woman wrapped in a haze of smoke putting out a cigarette. She wore a short denim skirt and a red blouse that matched the mane of fiery red hair that hid her face. But even with her face covered Spike would know that enigmatic voice anywhere.   
  
"Persephone?"  
  
"The truth of things come to one who stands at the edge of nothing." The woman looked up, a faint smile on her pale face. "It's good to see you again Spike."  
  
"It's good to see you to," Spike replied as he shook Persephone's hand. "I wouldn't have expected to find you here of all places."  
  
Persephone shrugged her shoulders as she motioned for Spike to have a seat. "One never does expect to find something that they weren't looking for."   
  
"There you go spouting those absurd words of wisdom."  
  
"Yes, but they are wise. Can I get you a drink?"  
  
"Sure, thanks. You can also give me an account of what you've been up to these past few years. How many has it been now? Three?"  
  
Persephone nodded. "If you want the latter, then you're going to have to come over to my place. I can get you the former there too."  
  
Spike cocked his head to one side and gave her a little half smile. "Still up for dramatics? All right, let's go."   
  
Persephone left the money for her drink on the table and the old friends went on their way. 


	3. Dangerous Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. 'Nuff said.  
  
Dangerous Confessions  
  
"Come on in. It's not much, but it's home," Persephone said as she led Spike into her apartment.   
  
It certainly wasn't much, from the outside; the building had looked like it was ready for the demolition crew any day now. But the one-room apartment not counting the small bathroom seemed nice enough. There was a tiny area that just barely passed as a kitchen while the rest of the room was sparsely furnished with a couch, a rocking chair missing one slat, a coffee table littered with some old magazines and a dresser with some pictures frames neatly arranged. Other than the coffee table, the place was pretty clean. Persephone had always been one for cleanliness. Spike shook his head. She was such an unlikely person to have been through so much and have done so many bad things. Then again, he knew of at least one other woman who had been in a similar mess.   
  
"Don't just stand there, make yourself comfortable. What can I get you to drink? I've got whisky, gin and tonic, and some ancient rum that was here when I moved in. What'll it be?" Persephone asked.  
  
Spike laughed as he sat down on the couch. "I'll take the ancient rum."   
  
"Ancient rum it'll be. You obviously still don't hold your life in much importance," Persephone said jokingly.   
  
"Actually you're right," replied Spike, "I'm a bounty hunter now."   
  
Persephone handed Spike a glass of the rum and settled into the rocking chair with a brandy snifter half filled with the burning liquor. She lit up a cigarette and took a long drag before answering.   
  
"Is that so? Well, that's better than what you used to do. How'd you get away from them?"   
  
"An act of God and some dumb luck," Spike answered as he lit up a cigarette of his own.   
  
Persephone laughed bitterly. "They'll get you in the end you know. Not even an act of God can save you from them."   
  
"I know, but as long as I'm alive, they won't get me."   
  
Persephone didn't answer to that. They both knew how ridiculous that idea was. Spike shifted the subject to Persephone.   
  
"What have you been up to? You're not walking the streets here are you?"   
  
"In this cold? No. Anyway there's too much competition and this is only... a temporary situation." Persephone's voice faltered as she answered only the first question and took a nervous swig of whiskey.   
  
No matter where you went on Pluto it was always freezing, outside and inside. And the fact that it was probably one of the worst scum holes in the galaxy didn't make things much better, so why the heck was Persephone here in the first place? What was she up to? Was she still working for them?   
  
"What do you mean by 'temporary situation'?" asked Spike.   
  
"Oh, well, um, it's nothing. Nothing important or anything like that." She was hiding something.   
  
Spike took a sip of the rum and placed it on the coffee table. Faster than Persephone could see he had grabbed her left wrist and had pulled back the blouse sleeve. There tattooed on her left forearm was a white paw print with four blood red claws, the mark of the White Tigers.   
  
Spike let go of Persephone's arm and sank back into the couch. Persephone covered up the brand and took a sip of her drink. She was shaking pretty badly. Spike ran his fingers through his dark fluffy hair. The silence could've been cut with a knife.   
  
  
  
"Dammit Persephone. You were so close. So close to being free. What happened?"   
  
"A lot can happen in three years Spike." She paused to look out the window as she pointlessly tried to rub away the mark. She finally sighed and began to speak.  
  
"I was going to leave. And you're right I was close." Persephone gave a bitter laugh. "I even got so far as to tell Victor I was leaving. Can you imagine that? Me, a lowly prostitute turned assassin, was telling the leader of the White Tigers, the most dangerous crime organization this side of the asteroid belt, that I was leaving. And do you know what he said? He said fine! He even went so far as to wish me luck with any of my future plans. And you know what else? I believed him! I thought that since I wasn't a full member, since I didn't have the mark, I'd be free, that there was nothing they had on me." Persephone stopped to gulp her whiskey. She didn't continue her tale till she had finished her first cigarette and had lit up a second one.   
  
  
  
"Anyway, after I told him, I figured I could go back to school maybe get a decent job and have a decent life for a change. But on the night I was taking the shuttle from Io back to Mars I... I was... they got me Spike. They were masked, but I knew who they were, who had sent them. They took me to an abandoned storage yard and did this." She pointed to where the tattoo was. "I thought it was bull, a mark can be gotten rid of. They still didn't have me. But then Victor showed up and he...he..." Persephone couldn't finish her sentence. Instead she pulled a gold chain out from under her blouse. Hanging from it was a blue and green locket that looked like a Faberge egg. She pulled off the necklace and handed it to Spike. He stared at it for a moment before taking it from her and opening it up. Inside was a picture of Persephone holding a laughing boy, who couldn't have been more than two. His hair was dirty blond, but his eyes were they same light grey as Persephone's. Spike snapped the locket shut as he stared down at the floor.  
  
  
  
"His name's Keith. He'll be three in a few weeks. Victor has him and that's why I can't leave."   
  
"Because if you do, he'll kill him?" Spike asked.   
  
Persephone nodded. "They had decided I was too valuable to let me leave. So they decided to go with the old White Tigers' tradition of using children as insurance for loyalty- Listen Spike, I shouldn't have told you any of this. They could be watching us right now. They could kill you right now. They consider me too much of an asset to risk my escape. You're a bounty hunter, the bounty on me is 300 million Woo Long. Take me in, right now. It's the best way out for me and Keith will be safe."   
  
Spike got up and went to the window. 300 million Woo Long was tempting, but no. Persephone was a friend and she deserved better than this.   
  
"No Persephone. I won't take you in. But I will do this, I'll help you and your son get out of this mess."   
  
Persephone snickered. "The last time I trusted someone to get me out of this mess only sank me deeper into it. And if I remember correctly it was you who gave me the idea to get out in the first place. It's because I trusted you that I wound up over my head in this. So tell me: why should I trust you now?"   
  
"Because you already have by telling me this." He turned to look her in the eye. "You trusted me once before, you can do it again. Please I want to help you. You have a future Persephone, let me help you find it."   
  
Persephone searched deeply in Spike's different colored eyes to see if he was being truthful. He had told her once that one eye looked into the past and the other one just looked. He had told her that he had no future. But if he believed she could have a future, one where she and her son would be safe, she would believe him. She had to believe him. 


	4. A Bid for Freedom

Disclaimer: You know the routine by now. I still don't own Cowboy Bebop. Spike Lives!  
  
A Bid for Freedom  
  
Persephone watched from her window as Spike walked away. Coming from the opposite direction that he was walking, Persephone saw a black sedan pull up in front of the decrepit apartment building. She put on her sunglasses and bunched her hair up under a black bandanna before going out to the car that awaited her.   
  
"Mommy!" cried the little boy as Persephone climbed into the sedan. He looked like his father with his sandy blonde hair and round face, but he had his mother's eyes and a bit of a wave to his hair.   
  
"Look what I made for you Mommy." He proudly displayed a picture with three stick figures on it as the car started to move. "It's a picture of you and me and Daddy."   
  
Persephone took the picture from her son. "It's lovely Keith. Thank you." It was a good thing she was wearing sunglasses otherwise Keith would've seen the tears that were just barely being restrained.  
  
"Keith, come sit next to your father. You don't want to get hurt with the car moving, now would you?" The voice was hard as ice with a sweetness to it like venom. Persephone still had to keep herself from cringing every time he spoke. Victor's hand came out of the shadows as he put it on his son's shoulder as Keith sat next to him.  
  
"My sources tell me that you've had a visitor."  
  
So Persephone was right. They had been watched. She prayed that she and Spike had only been seen together. If their conversation had been heard... Persephone wasn't going to think about it.  
  
"One Spike Spiegel, I believe. Ex-member of the Red Dragons Syndicate and the only target that you have ever failed to take out."   
  
Persephone looked out the tinted window. She wasn't going to let Victor intimidate her into talking. She wasn't going to betray Spike.   
  
"We're old friends. I couldn't take him out," she simply replied.   
  
"Well, if you want what you've always wanted, you're going to have to."   
  
Persephone looked sharply at Victor. "What do you mean?"   
  
"My source also told me about the conversation you had with Mr. Spiegel. Very interesting."  
  
Persephone clutched the leather seat. Her entire body was frozen. Was this it? Was Victor going to kill her son now?  
  
"But then I thought to myself. Mr. Spiegel is the only target that you have ever failed to get. I'll make a deal with you Persephone, if you can take out this old friend, I believe I will have no further use of your services or for this little one." He gestured towards Keith who was playing with a toy space ship.   
  
Victor leaned forward into the light. "Do I make myself clear?"   
  
"Perfectly," replied Persephone, her voice trembling.   
  
Victor smiled fiendishly. "Excellent. You'll do it tomorrow night. Keith and I will be there to see the show, then you two can be on your way."  
  
The car stopped then and Persephone got out. "Remember Persephone, if you don't do this, others will suffer the consequences of your inaction." With that the sedan sped off.  
  
TBC... 


	5. Emancipation

Disclaimer: Do I have to do this for every chapter? Last I checked I still don't own Cowboy Bebop. Spike Lives!  
  
Emancipation  
  
Spike had been a bit surprised to hear back so soon from Persephone after speaking to her. She had told him to meet her outside of town near the warehouse district. He had no illusions about what must have happened. They had been caught together. Now came the retribution of the White Tigers. Damn, he had spent the entire day trying to think of some other way to save Persephone and Keith, but he'd come up empty handed. Now it was this. Whatever happens, happens Spike told himself. The lives of the living were never their own. Only the dead had true freedom. And only the true dead at that. The same thoughts whorled around his head as he arrived where Persephone stood waiting.   
  
"Why did you come?"  
  
"You told me too."  
  
"He's here you know. He's going to watch to make sure I do it. Keith's with him."   
  
Persephone stepped out closer into the dim lamp light. Her face was tear streaked, but her gaze remained steady on Spike. Her hand didn't shake as she pointed the gun at him. Spike didn't look at the gun. He only looked at the woman he considered a sister. It may not be the way he'd thought he'd go, but by her hand was as good as any.  
  
"What are you waiting for Persephone?" came a cold voice from the shadows.   
  
"Remember the consequences of your inaction." The owner of the voice stepped out. It was Victor. Keith stood by his side waiting expectantly.   
  
"What's going on Mommy? Daddy said that we'd be going somewhere special soon. I want to go now Mommy, can we go now?"  
  
Persephone looked down as she lowered the gun. Her tangled curls hid her face from view.   
  
"Persephone, do as I have told you! Do you really want to see your son die?" Victor had pulled out a pistol and was aiming it at Keith's head. Keith was completely oblivious to the danger he was in. Spike simply watched. The dream had taken a pretty odd turn again.   
  
"Persephone, if this is what gives you the freedom you want for not just yourself, but for Keith as well, then do it," Spike spoke quietly.  
  
Persephone looked up slowly. She turned towards Victor and Keith. With all the precision of the assassin she was she fired two bullets.   
  
Spike had to work to find his voice.   
  
"Persephone, it didn't have to be this way. You could have down what he said, you could have both been free." He knew that nothing he said would make any difference anymore, she was already gone.  
  
Persephone turned to Spike. Her face was empty, her voice hollow as she spoke:  
  
"Take care of my son."   
  
With that Persephone turned the gun on herself and pulled the trigger. 


	6. A Good Woman

Disclaimer: I refuse to do this. If you don't know that I don't own Cowboy Bebop, you need your head examined. Spike Lives!  
  
"A Good Woman"  
  
It had been a miracle that Keith had survived his mother's bullet. Spike shouldn't have been surprised. If Persephone had really wanted to kill him, she would have blasted his head off like she did to Victor and herself. Spike had done what he could to fulfill Persephone's wishes. He'd found a family from Earth that was willing to adopt Keith. They would be arriving any minute now to pick Keith up from the hospital. Spike loved Persephone like a sister, but he couldn't raise her son, he wasn't equipped to do that. This would be the best thing for Keith. A life safe and far from Pluto and the syndicates. Keith was still young. His dream would be a reality. He wouldn't become one of the living dead watching a dream float before his eyes. There was only one last thing to do.  
  
Spike entered the hospital room with some trepidation. Speaking to kids was not his forte, especially one this young. Talking to Ed was effort enough. Keith was in the bed still looking a bit pale. He must have his mother's spirit, Spike thought to himself. Most kids his age would have died instantly.   
  
"I remember you," Keith said as Spike pulled up a chair. "You're the man that Mommy was with"   
  
Spike nodded. He had to find the right words fast or this was going to be even more awkward then it already was.  
  
"Where's Mommy? Nobody will tell me where she is." Spike looked up at Keith. God, he looked so much like his mother.   
  
"Your mom went away. You'll see her again someday."   
  
"But Daddy said we were going somewhere special together."   
  
Spike sighed. This was going to be hard.  
  
"Keith, you'll be going somewhere special with a new family. You'll have new parents that will love you as much as your mother did. You'll be living someplace that's warm and you'll be safe."  
  
Keith looked confused. "I don't understand."  
  
"You will one day. Just remember Keith, your mother was a good woman. Always remember that. What she did, she did for you."   
  
Spike got up and turned to leave. "Your new family will be coming for you soon."  
  
"Wait," whispered Keith. Spike stopped. "Mommy used to say that everyone had an angel watching over them to protect and guide them. She said that her angel was named Spike. Are you that angel?"  
  
Spike didn't answer right away. "No, I'm no one's angel." 


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
The Bebop had one last thing to do before leaving Pluto's space. It was edge of the galaxy. No one had gone beyond it. It was the best place to send Persephone to rest. Spike watched from the bridge as the coffin floated into the emptiness. Faye came up beside him, her traditional cup and straw in hand. She looked from Spike to the coffin and back again.   
  
"Penny for your thoughts?"  
  
Spike gave her a sidelong look. "You just wasted a penny." He walked away leaving Faye to watch the darkness.   
  
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY. 


End file.
